


The Things We Do For Those We Love

by Snickerdoodle225



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friendship/Love, High Fae, Humans, Illyrians (ACoTaR), Love, Love Confessions, Mommy Issues, New Family, Politics, Prostitution, Refugees, Romance, Secret Identity, Sex, Smut, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:07:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29673963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snickerdoodle225/pseuds/Snickerdoodle225
Summary: “How much did you hear?” Elain whispered, her voice cracking slightly.“Not much. Just a few sentences that don’t make sense and that horrible thing he said about you outside.” It was a struggle to keep his eyes on her face, knowing that the body he had dreamt about for so long was bared to him. But he knew she had been violated on some level and he needed to focus on her feelings.“It’s true, you know,” she said almost defiantly.“What is?”“That I’m a whore.”In which we explore the policy about sex work in Velaris, Elain's old friends, Azriel's insecurities, and a bunch of other fun things on the way to a loving relationship with good communication.
Relationships: Elain Archeron & Azriel, Elain Archeron/Azriel, Feyre Archeron/Rhysand, Nesta Archeron/Cassian
Comments: 18
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

Ever since the river estate had been completed, the townhouse had sat empty. Every so often Rhys and Feyre snuck off to be alone or Mor stayed there to get some peace and quiet away from the rest of the family, but for the most part the well-furnished rooms were unused and barren. 

Azriel landed on the roof of the townhouse, looking for some peace and quiet after spending time traipsing across the continent. He had reported to Rhys that there were no signs of the human queens, and now he was on a much-needed staycation. Rhys insisted on a few days off before Azriel absolutely lost his mind in frustration. 

As he trudged down the stairs, raised voices reached his ears, and the scent of fear rose from the sitting room on the ground floor. Immediately silencing his footfalls, Azriel sent a few shadows down the steps to see who had invaded the supposedly empty space. 

“How many, Elain?” That was Lucien’s voice, strung so tight that is sounded as if any answer would make him snap in full anger. 

A quiet but firm voice responded, “I told you, I don’t know. We didn’t count clients, just nights of service.” Azriel couldn’t breathe at Elain’s short answer. What on earth are they talking about?

“And how many _nights of service_ did you have?” Venom dripped from Lucien’s words as he practically spit back at Elain. 

“Over a thousand,” was the finite reply. She didn’t seem angry, just certain and afraid. 

The silence after her reply was deafening. Lucien’s breathing increased in speed and intensity as his anger mounted. Azriel planted shadows all over the room, all of them meant to be used as points of entry for him. He called up the shadows as his hands to make sure his portals were ready. His friends thought he could winnow like a High Fae, but the reality was more like the opening and closing of doors in the shadows. 

There were no more words from the sitting room. The next thing Azriel heard was the very distinct sound of fabric ripping and a cry of pain from Elain. That was all he needed to enter the room and make himself known. One swift, fluid move and he was in the room, pulling Lucien away from Elain. She then crumpled to the floor, desperately holding the flaps of her torn dress together in a last attempt at modesty. 

Azriel had no trouble overpowering Lucien and throwing him from the house, but of course the male had to have the last word. 

“I would rather die alone than have a _whore_ for a mate. You want her, bastard lesser breed? She’s all yours.”

Lucien vanished, winnowing away to leave Azriel processing his words on the doorstep. A faint sob echoed through the foyer, dragging Azriel from his thoughts and back to the damsel in distress inside. 

Elain was on the floor, her torn dress hanging loose around her, as if she was so broken from the encounter that she had forgotten all modesty. Azriel knelt down on the floor next to her, hesitant to touch her and unsure what to say. 

“How much did you hear?” Elain whispered, her voice cracking slightly. 

“Not much. Just a few sentences that don’t make sense and that horrible thing he said about you outside.” It was a struggle to keep his eyes on her face, knowing that the body he had dreamt about for so long was bared to him. But he knew she had been violated on some level and he needed to focus on her feelings. 

“It’s true, you know,” she said almost defiantly. 

“What is?”

“That I’m a whore.” Her voice didn’t waver in the slightest. Azriel didn’t have words for that. He wanted to deny her statement, but since he didn’t know the rest of the conversation, he wasn’t sure how. And the way she said it was…odd. As if it were just a statement of fact, like the state of the weather outside, instead of an egregious insult. 

Elain took a deep breath before she continued. “This is the one secret we never told Feyre. If I tell you now, you have to swear you won’t even think about it near her or Rhys until I tell her. Although, I should probably do that before Lucien goes and spills to everyone.”

“You don’t have to tell me, Elain.”

“I know.” She twisted a wry smile towards Azriel, “I want to. If there’s a single person in this world who will hear my story and accept me for who I am anyways, it’s you.”

Azriel nodded. “You know I would never judge you for your choices.”

“And that’s why I want you to know. I know that you are…interested in me, and I feel the same, but I want you to have all the facts before you continue down that road.”

She snuggled close to Azriel, laying her head on his shoulder, the two of them still on the floor. Azriel shifted to wrap one arm around her waist to pull her close. “I doubt it will change my feelings for you but go ahead.”

Sighing, Elain began her story. “You know from Feyre that we lost the family fortune and creditors came to shatter Father’s leg. As far as she knows, that was the end of it, but that isn’t the whole truth. The creditors didn’t care about Father’s health or wellbeing, and they kept coming back demanding we pay back the money with interest. Nesta and I tried to hold them off with spare coins here and there, but the debt was so exorbitant that eventually they threatened to take Feyre away and sell her on the continent to recoup their money.”

“I presume you weren’t about to let that happen,” Azriel mused. 

“No, and for a while even Nesta thought I had just talked them into going away. The truth is I joined the sisterhood of the oldest profession in the world to pay them back.” Elain paused, waiting for Azriel to piece together what she meant, hoping she wouldn’t have to say it out loud. 

It only took a few moments for Azriel’s brows to draw together and he whispered, “Prostitution.”

She nodded. “Every coin I had went to paying off the creditors. Every so often I would buy something for Feyre. Her new bow. A few sharper arrows. Some paints. I resoled her boots one winter. To this day, she believes she had a guardian angel or mysterious benefactor watching over us. I didn’t have the heart to tell her. Still don’t.”

“Does Nesta know?”

“A few years in, Nesta caught me sneaking out of the house. I couldn’t get her to leave it alone so I spit the truth at her and stalked off. She didn’t believe me at first, but it’s not hard to prove.”

Azriel didn’t say anything, he just flicked her a mildly confused look. 

“Women in the sisterhood are all marked. We all have clan allegiances, rank, and other things either tattooed, branded, or carved into our skin. It’s what Lucien was looking for when he ripped my dress open. I know he found it, but I just wish he would’ve asked. I would’ve shown him willingly.” Elain shifted out of Azriel’s hold and stood, opening the ruined dress for him to see. 

Azriel stood to assess the marks Elain spoke of, his eyes passing over the satin underthings she still wore. Just below her collarbone, there was a tattoo of a seven-pointed star adorned with intricate whorls that almost looked Illyrian. On her ribcage there were a series of brands in the old language, numbers if he wasn’t mistaken. One hundred. Five hundred. One thousand. He reached out his scarred fingers to brush the raised skin of the top one. “You don’t count clients, just nights of service,” he murmured, repeating what she had said to Lucien. 

“This one,” she pointed to the star, “is my clan allegiance. The brands are rank based on nights of service. On my back is the poem we all carry, and my arms are…” she trailed off, her voice shaking. Instead of speaking, she shrugged off her left sleeve and offered the bare arm to the male in front of her. 

About an inch above the crook of her elbow, there was a word branded with an underline that had clearly been made with a knife. 

_CLEAN_

Elain dropped her head back to stare at the ceiling, begging the tears to subside. “They carve us open and put things into our blood that keeps us from contracting diseases and makes us infertile. As a human, it’s permanent. I don’t know if that changed when I was Made.”

Azriel choked slightly at her words. To have that taken from you sounded…horrible. “How old were you?”

“Fourteen.”

She might as well have punched him because all the wind left his lungs in a rush. _Fourteen._ She had been a child when she had taken to the streets. Azriel sank into the sofa behind him, mind reeling. “So, all this time, everyone assumed you were just modest, but really you were hiding the marks of your time spent in the sisterhood.”

Elain nodded as she sat down beside him. “I managed to pay off the debt just days before Feyre went over the wall. I knew I couldn’t keep it up forever, but I wanted to make enough money to get us a better house and some saved away. I was trying to figure out how to tell her when she was taken.”

Azriel reached for her again and stopped. After all she had been through, did she really want another male touching her? He wasn’t sure he would if he were her. But Elain saw the motion and leaned into his arms, wrapping one of her own under his wings. “You aren’t calling me a whore and you’re still willing to touch me so that’s a good sign.”

Huffing a laugh, Azriel pulled her into his lap. “If anything, it’s comforting to know you’re not some blushing virgin I have to be careful with. Not that I find comfort in your trauma but knowing that you’ve probably been with as many people as I have makes me feel less old and creepy.”

“You never have to be careful with me, Azriel. In fact, I’d prefer it if you didn’t. And it wasn’t all bad. Some nights were fun, actually. My friend Tildi and I would work doubles for this rich man and I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun in my life.” Elain laid her head on Azriel’s shoulder again. “I miss her. And Rosie. They were my best friends. Sisters in a way Nesta and Feyre never could be.”

Azriel said nothing as he held her, still reconciling the sweet female he knew her to be with the profession she endured to save Feyre. Her secret life. She had bared her soul to him, told him all the things she’d done to protect her family, and Cauldron bless him, he loved her for it. He loved her for her courage and her bravery. He loved the way she fit perfectly in his arms. He loved the way she didn’t flinch from the truth as she told him everything. He loved her. 

This moment was perfect, but it wasn’t to last. While Azriel was building up the courage to tell her how he felt, Rhys brushed against his mental shield. _Hey, have you seen Elain? She’s needed at the house, and you should probably come too._

Stifling a sigh, Azriel shot back, _Is Lucien up there spitting venom all over the place?_

Rhys’s reply was confused. _No, but now I’m curious what you’ve done to piss him off._

Azriel rolled his eyes. _I didn’t do it this time. I have Elain, we’ll be there shortly._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you find any typos. I did this rather fast.

Azriel carried Elain into the river estate wrapped in one of Mor’s old coats he’d found in a closet at the townhouse. Rhys met them in the hall, Feyre hard on his heels. 

“Well, you two made good time. Shall we?” asked Rhys in a chipper voice. 

Azriel set Elain down and she scampered up the steps away from the group. Rhys made to stop her, but Azriel put a hand on Rhys’s shoulder. “Lucien ripped her dress open in a fit of rage. She’ll be back as soon as she’s changed.”

Rhys bristled at the statement. Feyre gasped. “What happened?”

Azriel shook his head. “It’s not my story to tell, but I get the feeling Lucien won’t be back. It’s why I mentioned him earlier, thinking you needed us because he went off the deep end.”

Feyre led the way to the study, clearly confused but not about to push. Azriel made sure his mental boundaries were firmly in place so neither of the Daemati mind-readers picked up on Elain’s secrets. 

The study was filled with the rest of their family. Cassian was on the sofa, Nesta practically asleep in his lap. Amren had claimed a recliner, and Mor was pacing the length of the bookshelf. “Shall we?” the blonde asked as Feyre took a seat at the desk. 

“For this, we wait for Elain. She went to change clothes.” Rhys perched on the edge of the desk as he responded. But the didn’t have to wait long. 

Elain, ever efficient, had pulled all the pins from her hair and tossed on a long-sleeve dress that was low cut enough in the front to show off her clan seal. It even dipped far enough in the back for Azriel to see the first few lines of the poem she had spoken of earlier inked into her pale skin. She moved to stand with Azriel against the wall opposite from Mor. 

Rhys froze at the sight of the seven-pointed star on her chest, as if he knew what it was. Elain cocked her head at the High Lord and brought one slender finger to her lips in a play for silence on the matter. 

_I’m afraid I cannot oblige you that request,_ Rhys whispered into her mind. “Varian,” he said aloud. 

The Summer Court male appeared at Rhys’s side. “We have a dilemma at the Summer Court,” he began slowly. “A group of twelve human women and one man have crossed into our borders. They say they have walked all the way from below the Wall and were on their way to Velaris. They claim they will walk all the way here if they have to, but we all know how dangerous that is. How they even made it through the Spring Court undetected is a mystery.”

Rhys picked up the story. “Apparently all twelve women have a seven-pointed star tattooed onto their collarbones, and the leader of them will say nothing of who they are other then ‘refugees’. She requests to speak to Elain Archeron and will say no more.”

All eyes looked to Elain and her own tattoo fully on display. She took a deep breath. “The woman you spoke to is either Matilda Givorun or Rose Saracrusas. I wrote them a letter some time ago to let her know I was alive and relatively unharmed. I didn’t think Tildi would come after me, and I have no idea who the man would be.” Elain looked at Azriel, “They are…my sisters.”

“What sisters?” asked Feyre, since clearly the whole family was in the room. Nesta stood and turned to Elain, clearly knowing it was time. 

Elain took a few steps into the room and recited the poem that she’d had inked into her skin all those years ago. 

_“We walk the night but never alone,  
And without fear our skills we hone,  
Though in the dark we burrow deep,  
The cloak of shadows will always keep. _

_The seven-point star the guides our way,  
Will hide us from the light of day,  
The sisterhood will always preside,  
Over loneliness that’s felt inside.”_

Silence rang for a moment when she finished. Mor was the first to speak. “The Whore’s Lament.”

“Outsiders call it that,” Elain said, unoffended. “But we call it The Ballad of the Sisterhood. The seven-point star is a part of every clan seal in some way, but ours looked like this.” She pointed to the seal she bore. 

“You were a prostitute,” said Amren. Not a question. 

Feyre’s eyes widened as she stood. “When was this?”

Nesta and Elain shared a glance. “I joined when I was fourteen, after the creditors threatened to take you away and sell you on the continent if we didn’t pay off father’s debts. We let you believe the shattering of his leg was the end of it, and even Nesta didn’t know what I was doing for a long time.” Elain definitely didn’t want to get into this story for a third time today, so she went with the basics. 

Rhys had already put the pieces together. “You told Lucien earlier. That’s why he ripped your dress open and threw a fit.”

Elain nodded. “I didn’t think he’d be able to handle the truth, and I was right. The seal and the lament are hardly my only marks from those days, and he found what he was looking for. He said he’d rather die alone than be mated to a whore.”

Nesta slipped a hand around Elain’s waist for a hug. “These are your sisters? Then we should shelter them.”

“I don’t love the idea of having more prostitutes in a city that already has a bad habit of having them turn up dead,” said Rhys. 

“Most of these women didn’t go to the streets willingly, but as a last resort to survive. And if you’re so worried, then you should do more to protect the rest of the sisterhood in this city.” Elain’s voice was laced with anger as she replied to Rhys. 

Taking a breath, she stilled the anger in her heart and approached her brother-in-law, taking his hands. “If a consenting adult chooses the life, you should protect them with unions the same way you protect other workers. Most mishaps are caused by men in charge who say they’re protecting us but have never worked a night on the street. They don’t understand the inherent sexism that goes on when they choose our clients for us. But if the industry were regulated by women, say women with more than a thousand nights of service, and women were always given a choice as to who their clients were, your citizens would probably stop turning up dead. Make sex work acceptable, Rhys, and regulate it as you would any other group of workers.”

Rhys squeezed her hands as she spoke, and a spark lit up in his eyes, as if he had never considered the possibility. He turned to Varian with renewed hope for his people. “Tell Tarquin that we’ll come pick them up within the hour. We have a few preparations to make before they come.”


	3. Chapter 3

By the time they left for the Summer Court, all had been decided. The group would temporarily be housed in the House of Wind until they were introduced to the city and more permanent lodgings could be found. Rhys promised to sit down with each and every one of them and have a discussion as to whether or not they wanted to stay in the profession they were in, and if not then he would set them up with some other kind of vocation. 

Rhys had also promised to involve her in all decisions made in the regulation of sex work in his court and gave her the final word on all matters regarding the sisterhood. She became his official liaison and advisor for sex work in Velaris, a title Elain accepted with no hesitation. It had been an awkward moment when Rhys had asked if she qualified under her stipulation of ‘a woman with a thousand nights of service’ but the tension passed quickly once he explained his motives. 

Feyre opted not to go with them to the Summer Court, citing a headache and fatigue. Elain knew she would have to talk to her sister personally, but now was not the time. Now was the time to retrieve her human sisterhood from Tarquin. 

Rhys brought along only those who could help in transporting the group of humans, so Cassian and Nesta stayed home while Mor followed Elain and Azriel to Adriata. Tarquin was waiting for them, an entourage behind him. 

“Rhys! Thank you for responding on such short notice. The humans are currently in a sitting room one floor below us. We set out refreshments, but I’m not sure they trust us enough to eat them.” Tarquin was as charming as always, his dark complexion free of strain. 

Taking the hand of the other High Lord, Rhys stepped back to introduce the party. “Mor and Azriel you know, but this is my mate’s other sister, Elain Archeron.” 

Elain stepped forward to dip a quick curtsy to Tarquin. “Thank you, My Lord, for sheltering my friends on their journey. If I had known they would come, I’m sure we would’ve saved them the trip.”

Tarquin’s gaze dipped to Elain’s seven-pointed star tattoo, noting the similarities to the other women. They had decided not to tell Tarquin what these women did for a living unless he pointedly asked the question but letting him see the tattoo would make sure he knew the women were to be treated with the same respect he would give Elain. 

“Welcome, Elain,” he said with a smile, “and your friends were no trouble. We just weren’t sure what to do with them when they first arrived. Let me take them to you now.”

They all followed Tarquin and Varian down a flight of stairs to the room set aside for the human visitors. Tarquin opened the door and allowed Elain to enter first, Rhys hard on her heels. 

“Laney?” a female voice asked softly. Elain met the eyes of Matilda Givorun standing in front of her. The dark-haired woman was only a few years older than Elain, but her green eyes shone with the wisdom and hardship of ages. 

“It’s me, Tildi. We’ve come to take you to Velaris.” Elain held out her hands to her old friend, hoping her new High Fae body wouldn’t offend her. 

That fear proved irrational when Matilda launched herself into Elain’s arms with a squeal. “It is you!!” she screamed. 

Another woman with dark skin like Tarquin joined them, her bouncy curls black as midnight. Elain managed to free one arm away from Matilda for the woman. “Rosie!” she yelled, pulling her toward the hug. One by one the other women joined the reunion, asking Elain questions about Velaris and throwing out details about their lives. 

After about five minutes, Elain was in tears of joy. “I love all of you so much. I’m so glad they found you here in the court of our allies and not somewhere else.”

“We knew from your letter that Velaris was on the western coast, so we figured we’d follow the sea until we found it.” The voice came from the back of the room, the one man in their midst. He was tall and somewhat lanky, his sandy blond hair hanging in his face. 

“Criston? You came too?” said Elain as she approached him, sinking into another hug. Criston held her close to his chest and kissed her hair. 

“Well, I wasn’t about to let Tildi come on her own like she was determined to do. She said she would marry me if we made it to Velaris,” he said with a chuckle. 

Elain gasped, “So she did end up convincing you! You know after the first night we came to your house, she turned to me and said, ‘Elain, I’m going to marry that man.’”

“Hey! You weren’t supposed to ever tell him that, Laney!” Matilda wasn’t really angry, but she yanked Elain away from her man and gave her a light smack on the arm anyways. 

Rhys cleared his throat for their attention. “Ladies and gentleman, we have imposed on Summer Court hospitality long enough. I am Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court where Velaris is located. Elain has explained to me how you would all be wonderful additions to our city, and we have come to make your journey easier. We will use magic to get you to Velaris, and from there you will be flown to your temporary home on the edge of the city, where your hostess, Nesta Archeron, will meet you.”

Elain backed away from her friends and into Azriel’s waiting arms, “I will meet you there as well. Rhysand and Morrigan have the powerful magic to get you there.” Azriel used his shadows to take Elain away. 

It took some time for the humans to line up for winnowing, but with Tarquin and Varian helping with the process, it took no time at all to get all of them to the roof of the townhouse, where Cassian and Azriel were waiting to fly them to the House of Wind. 

Once all the humans were settled into their rooms, Elain promised to come back for their evening meal and went to find Azriel.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this weekend but I went down a rabbit hole of hyperfocus and am now halfway done with ch.5.

Elain found her shadowsinger on the balcony off the main dining room, sunning his wings. The soft click of her shoes announced her presence, but he didn’t turn around. “Thank you, Azriel, for all your help today.”

Azriel shifted a bit but didn’t look at her. “Criston seemed rather familiar with you earlier.”

She knew this was coming, had felt it in the air when she had greeted her old client. “Criston Deleford was the only man who would give us a choice in what we did. Tildi and I would go to his mansion together and he would typically invite us to dinner or drinks in his house. Sometimes he sent us away without…indulging in us. But he always gave us a choice, and if we said no, he respected it. He was the only one that would.”

“So, he was a client.” Azriel said shortly. There was something in his voice that betrayed the calmness of the words. 

“Yes,” Elain started, not willing to lie now that it was all in the open. “But he was always more taken with Tildi than with me.”

The silence was awkward with tension you could cut with a knife. Azriel gripped the railing with white knuckles as he watched the city without really seeing it. Elain leaned against the banister next to him to better gage his emotions. 

“Azriel, are you jealous?” Elain asked hesitantly. “Because there’s no shame if you are. I certainly wouldn’t blame you.”

“I never thought I’d have to look another male in the eyes knowing he’s been with you,” Azriel said plainly. “When you told me all about this, I thought about it all in the past tense. I thought I’d never meet these humans who had touched you and have to be civil to them.”

Elain huffed a small laugh. “In all honesty, that was a fair assumption this morning. Even I couldn’t have imagined all of this happening.” She slid her hand along the railing to wrap around his wrist, slowly lacing her fingers into his. 

“Elain, I know you still consider them your sisters, but I,” Azriel took a deep breath before he continued. “If we pursue a relationship, I need you to be mine and only mine. If you decide to continue this line of work, I couldn’t handle being with you.”

“And I wouldn’t ask you to, Azriel. I no longer have a sister to protect and a father’s debts to repay. I have no plans to take up more nights of service. Maybe I can do some good by helping Rhys and giving other women a choice, but I’m not going back to the streets if I can help it. Although…” Elain trailed off, not sure if she should bring it up when they hadn’t even kissed yet. 

Azriel turned to meet her gaze, trepidation painted on his face. “Although?”

She sighed. “Tildi and Criston saw us and thought we were together. They wondered if we’d be interested in joining them sometime, once everything is settled.”

Azriel inhaled so fast he choked on his own saliva. But the coughing evolved quickly into an all out laugh as he wiped tears from his eyes. “And what did you say?”

“I said we weren’t as together as they thought we were, but we’d have to talk about it,” Elain said with a smirk. 

“I’d like to have you to myself for a while, I think,” he said snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her flush with his hard body. Burying his other hand in Elain’s hair, Azriel brought their lips together in a soft kiss. 

Elain leaned into his lips, melting her body into his as best she could and cupping his face in her hands. This is what she had been waiting for, the mouth she had been dying to taste for months. Her hands traveled down his chest as they kissed, slowly fingering the outline of every muscle. Elain lifted her thigh so it was pressed against his growing erection, the feeling deepened with a slow roll of her hips. 

Azriel growled low in his throat as her hands gripped his lower back and her thumbs teased the base of his wings. Damn, she knew what she was doing. If he wasn’t careful, he would end up taking her right here on this balcony for the whole city to see. Their lips still locked together, Azriel released her waist to brush up the side of her breast, the warm swell of it taunting him for more. 

Someone behind him cleared their throat, interrupting the perfect erotic moment Azriel was having with Elain. She held onto him just a moment longer, biting the edge of his lip before turning to find Rhys, Cassian, and Nesta standing there, watching with interest. 

Elain pulled away from Azriel and approached the newcomers as if that hadn’t just been one of the best moments of her life. Azriel gaped for a moment at her absence, bracing one hand on the banister to steady himself. 

Nesta noticed Azriel’s loss of composure and turned to Elain, “You’ve got to teach me how to do that.”

Giggling slightly, Elain casually wiped a thumb under her bottom lip before replying. “It doesn’t take much really. And Illyrians have such an easy pleasure point.” Elain’s eyes flicked suggestively to Cassian’s wings. Nesta chuckled while the males blushed. 

Rhys coughed as Azriel finally joined them, “You ok, brother?”

Azriel nodded, but said nothing, so Rhys continued. “So, we give them the day to rest, but then what?”

“Rhys,” Elain said solemnly, “will you show them the library? I think some of them would benefit from it, and a few may even choose to become a part of it if given the chance.”

“I had a feeling that would be the case, so I took the liberty of going down to see Clotho just now,” said Rhys, nonchalant as ever. “She says that the vows of a priestess know no race and all will be welcome. I had thought to take them there in the morning.”

Elain nodded before she turned back to Azriel, “Will you take me down to the river estate? I need to talk to Feyre.”

The group shifted in uncomfortable silence before Nesta spoke up. “She said she had a headache.”

“And you believed her?” asked Elain with a knowing look. “Nesta, you know why we didn’t tell her, and now we have to deal with it. I have to talk to her.” Elain glanced at Rhys who nodded. 

“I’ll go with you,” the High Lord said. 

Elain shook her head. “No, I need to do this alone.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sings* Here we go again. Just when I had thought that this was just a one shot.....
> 
> Also, really quick, it's Criston like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. Idk why or where it came from. I just like it.

Feyre opened the door on the second knock. “You aren’t Rhys.”

“Would Rhys knock on his own bedroom door?” Elain asked with a soft smile. 

Feyre coughed a half laugh, “I suppose not.”

Elain laid her hand over the fingers Feyre exposed through the crack in the door. “It’s just me, Feyre. I know you’re in there crying your eyes out. Please, let me in so we can talk.”

Nodding, Feyre stepped aside for Elain to enter. As soon as the door was closed, Elain unbuttoned the bodice of her dress and peeled off the sleeves for Feyre to see. She pulled her younger sister’s hand to her arm to let her feel the branding and the scars. 

The tears still streamed down Feyre’s face as Elain looked deep into her eyes. For years, Elain had contemplated the words she would say in this moment, but she had never come up with the right ones. 

Now, she knew what to say. “Feyre, you went into the woods to keep us from dying. I went to the streets to keep us together. It wouldn’t have mattered if they had threatened you or Nesta, the result would’ve been the same. I don’t regret my choice, and I have never once blamed you for the evil threats of evil men.”

Feyre sobbed as she grabbed her sister into a tight hug. “I still can’t help but feel like this is my fault.” Feyre brushed the scars on Elain’s ribs. “I don’t know the code. How many?”

“The last mark I received was for a thousand,” Elain sighed. “Probably around fifteen hundred nights over seven years. And every last coin went to the creditors. I tried to buy you and Nesta nice things when I could but—”

“The boots!” Feyre gasped. “The bow and arrows. It wasn’t just the paints, but everything else you never took credit for.”

Elain nodded. “I love you, Feyre. I always have. You were only twelve and I couldn’t let them take you from us.”

“But you told Nesta what you were doing,” spit Feyre, a bite to her voice. 

“Not at first,” said Elain. “It was years before Nesta knew, and I only told her because she caught me leaving the house one night. You would’ve been about fifteen or sixteen when that happened.” Elain took a breath. “The only one who could have known from the start was Father since I had to sneak past his palette on the floor every time I left. And he never said anything to me, although sometimes I think he wanted to.”

A small knock sounded at the door. “It’s me, can I join the sister party?” called Nesta from the hall. 

“Come in,” replied Feyre, still holding on to Elain for dear life. 

Nesta closed the door behind her and wrapped both arms around her younger sisters. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you, Feyre. We thought you were already doing so much for us that it was only fair we did this for you.”

Elain snorted, “You say that like it was you making a living on your back.”

Tensing, Nesta fumbled for words, “I’m sorry, Elain, I—”

“Oh hush,” said Elain. “It wasn’t all bad, honestly. I’m sure the two of you are very aware of how much fun sex can be. Some men are beasts, but a fair few of them were rather respectful if not outright nice.”

“That one man certainly seemed to be a reasonable fellow,” commented Nesta. 

Feyre pulled back from her sisters and looked at Elain curiously, “What man?”

“The man that came with the twelve sisters,” said Elaine. “Criston Deleford was a client of mine for a while. He, Tildi, and I used to sip fine wine over a roaring fire while discussing the best way to brew alcohol or how to grow flowers. Sure, he liked to have the two of us at the same time, but that’s no sin really.”

“And how does Azriel feel about him being here?” Nesta pressed. 

“Well, I sure missed a lot this afternoon,” sighed Feyre, flopping onto the bed. “When did you and Azriel become an item?”

Elain buttoned up her dress and joined Feyre, Nesta hard on her heels. “About the time he saved me from Lucien’s rage this morning.”

“That kiss on the balcony didn’t say ‘new romance,’ Elain,” Nesta stated dryly. “It said ‘I’ve been in love with you since I laid eyes on you.’ That male looked like he was drowning and needed you to breathe.”

The three of them laughed, the mood thoroughly lightened. Elain sighed. “Is it selfish of me that I told Lucien in the most offensive way possible to make sure he left? I’ve never once felt like I wanted to be with him, and the longer I tried to deny my feelings for Azriel, the more I knew I had to find a way out of the mating bond.”

Feyre rolled her eyes, “It may be selfish, but that doesn’t make it wrong. Azriel’s been at least half in love with you for ages.”

“Am I the only one surprised by this?” asked Nesta, still very confused. “Like am I the only blind one here?”

“I’ll bet Cassian is just as dense,” said Feyre with a smile. “But Rhys and I have been taking bets on when Elain would reject the bond and go for Azriel.”

“Well,” Elain began, leaning back on the pillows of the bed, “Azriel seems fine about the sisterhood thing on the surface, but I fear meeting Criston might have been too much for him.”

“It probably was, but give him time to digest the information. I’ll bet he’ll be alright, so long as you don’t go sleeping with Criston anymore.” Feyre raised an eyebrow at Elain, the question clear. 

Elain glared at her sister. “That is now Tildi’s territory. And while I’ve been invited, I don’t plan on going down that road unless Azriel wants to join me.”

Another knock echoed from the door. Feyre groaned, “When did my bedroom become where we held open court!?”

The door opened and all three Illyrian males were standing there, Rhys in the middle, eyes wide. “Um, I live here too.”

Feyre and Elain exchanged a glanced and burst out laughing, remembering their shared moment earlier. Nesta chuckled a bit before looking at the males in annoyance, “Did you boys need something?”

If there was ever a moment where the three most powerful males in their court felt their balls shrivel up and their bodies cower in mild fear, it was now. Cassian and Rhys both took half a step back from the room. Azriel managed to stand his ground, but the look on his face said he wanted to be anywhere else right now then facing down Nesta Archeron defending her sisters. 

“We were just wondering if you all would like to join us for dinner at the House of Wind with our human friends,” Azriel grumbled out, unfolding his arms and looking at Elain. 

Elain hopped off the bed and smoothed her skirts before approaching the shadowsinger. “Only if I get to fly in your arms,” she said with a seductive tilt of her head, laying a single finger under his chin. If Azriel noticed the subtle shift in her demeanor, he didn’t comment. 

But Cassian did. “Oh, she’s gonna be a menace now, isn’t she? That should be illegal.”

Elain turned her attention to He Who Can Never Keep His Mouth Shut, “Keep complaining and I won’t teach either of my sisters the tricks of the trade.”

That comment landed exactly where she wanted it to. Both Rhys and Cassian were clearly imagining their own ladyloves in this position, and this time it was Nesta’s turn to burst out laughing. She and Feyre made their way to the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly curious how my readers think this is going to go. Please comment your opinions. I have ideas, I just want to know what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

At first, Azriel thought dinner would be easy. After hearing Elain talking to her sisters through the door, he was struck with newfound confidence and optimism about him and Elain’s budding relationship. But when Criston and Matilda sat themselves across from him and Elain, Azriel knew this was going to be harder than he thought. Criston was clearly enamored with Matilda, but Azriel couldn’t help but take note of every friendly smile and every kind gesture the man made towards Elain. 

Azriel tried to rationalize the behavior with the knowledge that of course the man was friendly, he had known Elain for years and put his cock inside her a fair few times. That definitely didn’t help Azriel’s mood, as now he couldn’t help but wonder if the man was any good and if Elain enjoyed it. Azriel hadn’t even gotten the chance to get Elain alone. 

So, he sat quietly next to Elain, one hand planted firmly on her thigh, anchoring him to reality. Every so often she would brush his hand with hers, and at one point she kissed his cheek, but no matter what she did, Azriel still felt the dark curl of envy in his stomach.

_Jealousy isn’t a good look for you, brother,_ Rhys whispered into his mind from the end of the table. Although he had managed to hide his feelings from the humans, the Fae and Illyrians in the room knew better. 

Azriel gripped his wine and leveled a glare at his friend, _Imagine if Feyre and Tamlin were still good friends and he came to dinner. And he was more friendly with her than you were comfortable with, but you can’t say a word because if you do then you’re the possessive bad guy._

He could feel Rhys’s darkness ripple slightly in the air, his wings shifting slightly. _Fair point._

Somewhere in his conversation with Rhys, Azriel had lost track of what Elain was saying, and found himself very confused when she got up from the table with her wine. Several of the other women were following her, including Matilda. Thankfully, Criston stayed in his seat, though his eyes followed the ladies as they crossed to the balcony to talk privately. 

“I’m sorry,” the man said softly across the table. “Elain said you only found out today about her previous occupation. I’m sorry you have to face someone from her past so soon.”

Azriel set his wine down. “It isn’t your fault.”

Criston shrugged in his seat. “No, but I do know how you feel. Below the wall, I had to go out in society every day knowing almost every man I’d ever met, including some very close friends, had touched Tildi. The knowledge cripples you in a way very few things can. It’s part of why I decided to follow the clan up the coast, to escape that.”

Rhys leaned forward, “Elain tells me you were a very rich man below the Wall. Why would you leave it all behind for—”

“If you’re going to say, ‘for a whore,’” Criston interjected coolly, “we are going to have serious problems, my lord.”

Rhys huffed a laugh. “I wasn’t actually. The rest of that sentence was, ‘for a woman, no matter how much you love her?’”

Criston loosed the breath he was holding. “I’m sorry. I’ve had to defend Tildi’s honor to men with every breath in my body from the moment we met. It’s a reflex, and I meant no offense.”

“None taken, really. I’d feel the same in your shoes.”

“To answer your question, I may have been rich, but none of it was really mine. The house, the money, the status, it was all left to me by my father. I never worked a day in my life for what I was given, yet I had all the money in the world. And the longer I lived in it, the more I hated it and the more lonely I became. It’s why I used to pay the girls to come over just to sit around and sip wine: I lived alone in a massive house and I just wanted company. 

“Tildi told me stories of how hard she worked just to put food in her own mouth, and I realized I had no concept of what she spoke of. But I wanted to. I want to know the satisfaction of working for the food on the table. I want to be able to point to something and say that I made it. That I did something in this world. So, when Tildi said she and the clan were going to Velaris, I knew I had to go with them. Tildi tried to talk me out of it, but I’m very stubborn.” Criston sipped his wine as he finished his story. Every person at the table, human and Fae alike, looked at him in awe. 

Mor piped up, “Do you have any skills?”

Criston sighed. “I know about wine and horses, and that’s about it. But I’m willing to learn. I thought I’d learn a trade of some kind. All I want is enough for to marry Tildi and keep a small home somewhere. Where she can plant a flower garden and invite friends over for tea.”

“We have several trade schools here, so we can look into that more in depth tomorrow. And, as it happens, Velaris has an official gardener who goes around the city to help with gardens.” Rhys smirked at the last comment. 

Chuckling, Criston replied, “Yes, Elain said as much in her letter. She used to tell me all the things my gardener was doing wrong before trimming the bouquets on the side tables in my house.”

Azriel huffed as he sipped his wine, “That’s Elain, alright.” And with that, a subtle ease fell over the dinner table. Conversation flowed smoothly, and by the end, Azriel thought that in time he could learn to like Criston. 

~~

“Do you think leaving them alone is a good idea?” asked Matilda on the balcony. 

Elain nodded, “Azriel is struggling with a little jealousy at the moment, but you and I both know that the second we are out of earshot, Criston will extend the olive branch.”

Matilda shook her head. “Men are strange. I understand them for the most part, but sometimes they are a mystery.”

The women each took a deep lungful of the salty breeze the floated from the sea, embracing the calm chill of the night. “It’s fitting, really. A clan of the sisterhood settling in the Night Court. And the way the shadows cling to Azriel…a true cloak of shadows.”

“He’s what’s called a shadowsinger. He can control the shadows and use them to gather information. Azriel is the Night Court Spymaster.” Elain said, more proudly than she intended to. 

“Whatever he is, he loves you, but you say you and he only took the relationship step today. Why wait so long?”

“Ha!” Elain coughed. “It’s complicated. There’s ancient magic and another male involved.”

“Tell me,” plied Matilda. So, Elain did. She told her about the Cauldron and the mating bond. About being kidnapped in the war. About falling in love with Azriel day by day. And finally, how she told Lucien about her past that very morning. 

“What a horrid man.” commented Matilda. “But why did Azriel not say anything to you sooner?”

Elain’s face twisted into an awkward grin, “It isn’t polite to make moves on a mated person. He had to wait until he knew Lucien was out of the picture. He’d probably tell you something about honor.”

“Fae are ridiculous.”

“I don’t disagree, but it’s the life I live now.” Elain yawned. “This has been the longest day of my life, I think.”

Matilda snorted, “And you fought in the war.”

Elain laughed, the musical sound echoing off the stone balcony. Her Fae hearing picked up the slight rustle of wings cloaked in pure silence behind her, and the scent of pine and shadows graced her nose. Without turning around, she whispered to the tendril of a shadow on the railing, “Will you fly me home?”

Azriel secured both arms around her and jumped over the edge of the balcony, plummeting them into freefall before snapping out his wings to catch the updraft home. 

Matilda gasped and she could have sworn her heart stopped for a moment before she caught sight of them soaring over the rooftops. She turned to Criston, who had come out with Azriel. “The Fae are crazy.”

Criston just laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm legit a nocturnal human, so that's why chapters magically appear overnight. Also thank you to my roommate cupcakesofchaos for being my rubber ducky I can bounce ideas off of.

Azriel landed on the roof of the river estate and set Elain down on her feet, expecting her to move away. Instead, she twisted in his arms and brought their lips together in a soft kiss. 

“I know you struggle with being around Criston but thank you for coming to dinner all the same,” she murmured into his jaw. Elain trailed kisses down Azriel’s neck as he nuzzled her hair. 

Azriel growled into her ear, “I don’t think he’s so bad. It’ll just take some getting used to, knowing he’s had you in ways I haven’t.”

Elain snorted, “We could fix that you know.”

“I know,” he said softly, “but I don’t want you to do this just to make me feel better.”

Sinking her hand into his dark hair, Elain pulled him into another kiss before replying. “I want you, Azriel. I’ve wanted to be with you for a long time. Yes, I want you to be more secure, but don’t doubt that I want this as much as you do.”

Elain wasn’t tall enough to nibble his ear, so she went for the pulse point on his neck. Azriel growled again, her body flush against his just like it had been on the balcony. He leaned his head back and gathered his shadows around them, sinking into the inky blackness, only to reappear in front of her bedroom door several floors below. 

“Why didn’t you take us inside?” Elain asked incredulously. 

Azriel blushed, “I’ve never been inside. I made sure my shadows never went in.”

“Why? I wouldn’t have minded,” Elain asked, still confused. 

“Up until this morning, you were completely out of my reach. I knew if I let even a single shadow inside, the temptation would’ve been too much for me, and I wouldn’t have been able to respect Lucien’s claim.” Azriel traced her face with the backs of his fingers as he spoke. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment, before Azriel caught sight of his scars and jerked his hand away. He hoped Elain didn’t notice. 

But she did. Elain grabbed both of his hands and brought them to her mouth. She kissed the knuckles on each one before turning them over and kissing each palm. She dropped one of his hands to open the door. “Azriel, you are welcome in my bedroom. And if you and your shadows want to peek in on me, they can, and I will always be up front about if I want you to go away.”

She left him standing in the doorway as she entered her room. She knew he had to make this choice, to enter her world. 

Elain stood in the center of her room and started slowly unbuttoning her dress, facing Azriel as he lingered in the hallway. The shadows swept around him faster with each inch of skin she uncovered, and by the time she peeled off the garment and dropped it to the floor, he was in the room with the door closed. 

She smiled at him as she rushed him, jumping into his arms and wrapping both legs around his waist. Strong as he was, he caught her easily, but he did have to take a step back to balance himself. 

Azriel struggled to remain composed as Elain kissed him hard. Using his shadows to guide him, he walked her over to the bed and laid her out on her back, his wings flaring behind him as she ground up into his hips. 

Tearing off the rest of her underclothing, Azriel gazed upon her naked form. Aside from the brands he had already seen, Elain had a few small, fun shaped tattoos on the tops of her thigh and one more brand on her hip. Azriel brushed it with his fingertips, “What does this one say?”

“Eternal. It’s the first brand you get in the sisterhood. You can retire but never leave.” Silver tears formed at the sides of her eyes. 

Brushing them away, Azriel stuttered, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“No. It’s okay. In the sisterhood, ‘retiring’ is a euphemism for death since most of us never make it off the streets.” Elain wouldn’t meet his eyes as she spoke, the pain too great. 

Azriel kissed her cheek. “Elain, I would walk through hell itself to make sure you never had to go back to that life. You can have every bit of everything I own. You can have my very soul if that’s what you wish. I know you are an independent female who can take care of yourself and your family, but I would give you everything to make sure you never had to sell your body ever again.”

Elain ran her hands over the top of his leathers, “There are two things I want from you, Azriel. The first is for you to strip off these leathers and show me all those sexy whirly tattoos I know are under there.”

Stepping back from her embrace, Azriel started unbuckling and unbuttoning each piece of his leather ensemble. First the straps and weapons, then the jacket and gauntlets, followed by the dark leather pants. Each item hit the floor with a soft thud until Azriel stood fully naked in front of her. 

She dragged her gaze down from his uncertain face, over the muscled planes of his tattooed chest. Her eyes followed the deep V at his waist before finally settling on the large length of him that was standing at full attention for her. “I guess Feyre was right about the wings,” Elain said with a cheeky smile. 

Smirking, Azriel approached the bed again. “You said there were two things. What’s the second thing you want.”

“Your heart,” Elain said, her eyes finding his again. 

Azriel surged toward her, grabbing her wrists and pinning them over her head. “That has been yours from the day I met you, Elain.”

Elain gasped out encouragement as he ravaged her mouth while hoisting one leg over his shoulder. She begged him to fill her, struggling against her bonds. He slipped one finger up her folds to make sure she was wet before he slowly slid his length inside her. 

About halfway in, Elain lifted her hips into him. “Harder, Azriel, please,” she moaned. That was about the extent of his control for the moment. Azriel obliged her, pounding into her moist heat. Her scent enveloped him as he made love to her, and his chest tightened with every word she managed to cry, most of them being his name. 

He couldn’t take it anymore. He tried to think of other things to stave off his orgasm, but nothing seemed to work. Being inside Elain was the single most erotic experience of his life. Every inch of his being screamed for release, even though they hadn’t been at this that long. Pleasure curled deep in his body as he plunged into her over and over, forcing his breaths out in short staccato pants. His orgasm blinded him as he spilled deep inside her. 

Elain felt Azriel go over the edge and she rolled her hips, punctuating his release. She watched his face as waves of aftershocks rolled over his entire body. She freed her hands and dragged a single fingernail down his back and one more wave coursed through him. 

Once he was well and truly sated, a blush crept up his neck and spread across his face. Azriel wouldn’t look at her, and Elain’s concern grew as he said nothing when he left her body. She could tell all of his emotional and mental walls were flying back into place, and she reached out to him, hoping to pause his retreat. 

“Azriel?” she asked calmly. “Is something wrong?”

At first he didn’t respond, his back now turned to her. She watched carefully as he gazed at her over his shoulder, his eyes full of longing. “It’s nothing,” he whispered, holding his hands out in front of him. He stared at them angrily for another moment. “It’s just…”

He didn’t finish that sentence as shadows engulfed him, and Azriel disappeared in a puff of smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUM DUM DUUUUUUUMMM.....


	8. Chapter 8

The next day, Elain went with Rhys and Feyre to show her friends the library and introduce them to Clotho. Five of the women, including her friend Rosie, decided to take vows right then and there. 

“I didn’t realize it, Laney,” said Rosie after she had met Clotho, “but I think this is what I’ve been looking for. The peace of the library. The work of learning. I don’t even know what religion looks like here, but I feel it calling to me.”

“So, chase it, Rosie. You deserve this peace.” Elain couldn’t have been happier for her friend. 

Clotho made sure all of the sisters knew that visits to the library were welcome, as long as any outsiders were cleared with the front desk ahead of time. Before she left, Elain made sure all her sisters knew that if they ever needed her, she was only one short flight away. 

Back on the balcony, Rhys pulled Elain to a stop before the three of them flew back to the river estate. “Thank you, Elain,” he said with a glint in his eyes. 

She tilted her head slightly. “For what?”

“For showing me a world of strong women who are willing to go to extreme lengths to protect and provide for those they love.”

Elain said nothing, knowing there was more, but not sure if she needed to ask. 

“Feyre told you about Amarantha and everything that happened Under the Mountain?” Rhys whispered. 

“I never told her that part,” piped Feyre, obviously catching on to what was happening. 

“Which part?” Elain asked softly. 

Rhys turned toward his city, leaning on the railing the same way Azriel had the day before. “For fifty years, I was trapped playing Amarantha’s sex slave to make sure that she never found Velaris. I made sure this city went untouched, it’s people unharmed, while playing the faithful whore. 

“And now that I’m free, I’m ashamed. Ashamed that I haven’t done more for the sisterhood in this city. I didn’t even know that’s what it was called. Sex work is legal, yes, but have I protected them? I’m sure there are thousands of males and females alike who take to the streets to make the money but are constantly wishing they could do anything else. How many of them have been raped or beaten or murdered because of my negligence? How many of them were forced to choose between selling themselves and death?” Rhys shook his head. He had never felt the weight of his crown more than he did in that moment. 

“Rhys,” Elain said, taking his hands, “you are as much a part of this sisterhood as I am. Welcome.” She touched her clan seal and then touched the same spot on his chest. “If you ever want the marks for nights of service, Tildi has the stamp set. I don’t recommend it, but I don’t think anyone would begrudge you the rank.”

The male in front of her may have been a High Lord in rank, but he looked at her with the eyes of a traumatized child. A single tear rolled down his face and fell onto their clasped hands. “Thank you, Elain. I…There is someone I want you to meet. Another member of the sisterhood that lives an Illyrian camp. I think we should go see her. Ask her what she thinks of a change in policy.”

“Before we go,” Elain started, “have you seen Azriel today? He ran away from me last night and I have no idea what happened or why.”

Feyre looked at Rhys, “He told me this morning he was going to spy on the human queens.”

“I told that workaholic to take the week off, dammit,” mumbled Rhys. “He’ll come back when he’s ready, he always does.” He extended his hand to Elain. 

Elain nodded solemnly and took Rhys’s hand to winnow away. 

~~

The Illyrian camp they winnowed to wasn’t Windhaven, so Elain’s limited familiarity with that place was useless. But this camp looked much the same as the other: mostly dirt, lots of tents, and a few solidly built small houses. Rhys led her to a house that stood alone on the edge of town. Unlike the other Illyrian houses, this one had a fence and a small garden, the wintery pine trees and snow flowers cut back for the summer. 

Rhys opened the gate with a wave of his fingers and crunched silently up the path to knock on the dark green door. Elain’s eyes immediately focused on the plain seven-pointed star in the middle of the door. 

In the few moments they waited for the occupant to open the door, Elain found she was nervous. To a faerie, fifteen hundred nights of service was nothing. These people probably had millions of nights stamped into their skin; they probably walked the streets for centuries. Who was she, a twenty-four-year-old human-turned-High Fae, to help Rhys make policy when there were so many others with decades more experience than her? When he had offered, it had seemed like the thing to do. Elain knew she was no expert by any stretch, but now she felt vastly under-qualified. 

The door creaked open and a strikingly beautiful Illyrian female with classically sharp features greeted Rhys with a smile. “It’s been a couple centuries since I’ve seen you, child. What brings you to my door?” The female held out both hands to Rhys. 

“Dinaya,” he said as he leaned in to kiss her cheek, “Elain here is a member of your sisterhood. We are here to ask you how you would feel about some policy changes in your specific line of work.”

Dinaya welcomed them in and set a kettle on for tea. The three of them sat around a small kitchen table while they waited for the water to boil. 

“Now, you aren’t about to go meddling in the affairs of whores, are you Rhys?” Dinaya leveled a look at him. 

“I wouldn’t call it meddling, per say. Elain is the sister of my mate, and she has brought it to my attention that I’m not doing enough to protect members of the sisterhood from violence and poverty.” Rhys wouldn’t meet Dinaya’s piercing eyes. Instead, he stared at the table like a child that had broken his mother’s favorite vase. 

Dinaya’s gaze softened and the corners of her mouth lifted in a knowing half-smile. “Something happened to you under that Mountain, didn’t it Rhys?”

“How did you—” Rhys protested, looking up. 

But Dinaya just held up a hand as the kettle whistled behind her. “It takes one to know one, child. I’m sure this young lady has probably expressed the same thing, but welcome to the sisterhood.”

It was quiet as Dinaya poured the hot water into a floral teapot and pulled matching teacups down from a shelf. 

“Thank you,” whispered Rhys. His hands were folded on the table and he stared at them as she served the tea and set out a small dish of sugar cubes. 

“The first thing you should do is give sisterhood females the right to keep their children if they choose to,” said Dinaya with certainty. 

Elain’s eyes widened. “You aren’t…”

“Only the humans sterilize their members. Sterilizing Fae is almost impossible from what I’ve heard. So no, Miss Archeron, I wasn’t forced to relinquish that part of me. But my child was stolen from my by his father and treated horribly. There was no legal recourse because here in Illyria, the males have all the rights.

“And yes, Elain Archeron,” Dinaya continued when Elain opened her mouth, “I do know who you are. Don’t worry, I’ve heard nothing but good things.” She winked at Elain. 

Even Rhys seemed surprised that Dinaya knew so much about Elain, but he said nothing about it. He was busy making notes on the pad of paper he had manifested from nowhere. 

Elain decided she should probably speak. “I get the feeling laws against violence are useless up here, but what if there were some kind of female run council to make sure the sisterhood is treated well. Given choices in who they take on as clients, and even given more choices to get off the streets if they wish.”

“That may work in the city,” Dinaya said with a cringe, “but up here you’d have a hard time getting anyone to listen to females unless they were backed up by males.”

“I’ll send in Cassian if I have to,” said Rhys. 

“Cassian can’t be here all the time, and there are hundreds of camps, each with their own branch of sisters. I’ll tell you what, I’ll talk to some of the sisters here and make a list of ideas on how you can help with this.” Dinaya sipped her tea. 

“Thank you, Dinaya,” Rhys said, his confidence returning. 

“Your mother would be proud of you, child. She may have been a good seamstress, but your father was the reason she didn’t end up clipped and working the dirt next to me. She did her best with you and your friends, and even managed to help my son in ways I could never have hoped to. She would be proud that you’re trying to make this world a better place, even if her own people fight you every step of the way.”

Rhys nodded, sipping his tea. Elain watched him closely. Clearly, Dinaya had been an old friend of his mother’s, and seeing her again was bringing back emotions that Rhys was either not ready for or not sure how to deal with. 

The front door opened behind them. Dinaya looked up and smiled, “Hello, Azriel. I seem to have many visitors today.”

Elain whipped her head around to the large shadowsinger standing in the doorway, surprise painted on her face. Azriel’s expression was no less shocked. 

“What are you doing here?” he whispered, his eyes not leaving her face. 

Rhys answered for her, “We were chatting about how to make lives easier and how to better protect members of the sisterhood in the camps.”

Azriel glared at Rhys for reasons Elain couldn’t fathom at the moment. But when she looked back at Dinaya, she was struck with how similar her facial features were to Azriel. She tilted her head as she studied the other woman. The way her cheekbones cut deep were identical to Azriel’s, and the shape of her nose was so close it was if they were cast from the same mold. 

“By the way you’re now looking at me, I’m guessing Rhys left out a key tidbit of information about me,” said Dinaya, eyeing Elain. 

The pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Dinaya’s son was taken from her, treated horribly, and raised by Rhys’s mom. She knew Rhys, but he hadn’t been here in a long time. And that face it was…

“Azriel is my son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of me is a little sorry to drop another cliffhanger on you. Part of me isn't sorry at all. I'm working on 9. It'll probably be up by monday.


	9. Chapter 9

A blush crept up Azriel’s neck. He hadn’t planned on facing Elain this soon, and he certainly hadn’t been prepared to find her in his mother’s house. 

“You didn’t tell her?” he asked Rhys accusingly. 

“I didn’t think you’d want me to! But after you ran away from her last night and then you lied to Feyre about where you were, I didn’t exactly have a way to ask you about it,” exclaimed Rhys defensively. 

“I didn’t lie to Feyre, I really did go spy on human queens! I just couldn’t focus so I came back. And how did you know about last night?” demanded Azriel. 

“I was worried about you,” said Elain calmly. “We had sex, you disappeared in a cloud of shadows without a word. I didn’t know what to think, so I asked Rhys if he had seen you.”

Rhys was opening his mouth to say something else when a very loud smacking noise rent the air. All three of them turned to see Dinaya slap her palm on her forehead. “You finally get the girl and you ran away??”

Azriel said nothing so his mother continued, “I wish I could say I raised you better than this, but I didn’t raise you hardly at all.” She took a deep breath, “Rhys, out. No, leave her here.”

Rhys had reached to take Elain’s hand but was stopped by Dinaya’s words, so he alone winnowed out. 

“Sit,” Dinaya said to her son as she got up for another teacup. Azriel didn’t move. Dinaya pointed up at him. “You are not too big to put over my knee, child.” It was almost comical seeing this female no taller than Elain intimidate the massive warrior, but Azriel clearly had a healthy respect for his mother’s threats. 

Azriel reluctantly sank into the chair Rhys had occupied, wings tucked in tight. Elain sipped her tea but said nothing. 

“You didn’t tell me she was a member of the sisterhood,” said Dinaya, handing her son his tea. 

Taking the cup, Azriel reached for a lump of sugar before he responded. “I only found out yesterday.”

“That’s my fault,” Elain said, absently rubbing the star on her chest. “Feyre didn’t even know.” Now that the cat was out of the bag, Elain had dug out her lowcut dresses and let the world see the clan seal. Dinaya’s star, still seven-points but accented differently from Elain’s, was also on full display. 

Dinaya stood next to her son, brushing his hair out of his face with gentle hands. “What happened, sweetie? I know talking about your sex life with your mother probably isn’t your favorite thing to do, but I’m certainly no stranger to the mechanics. Maybe I can help.” She gripped the back of Azriel’s hair gently to comfort him. 

There was a long silence, the only sound being Azriel’s deep breathing. Elain could see the wheels turning behind his eyes, trying to decide which words to say. Dinaya continued to stroke his hair lovingly as she took her seat next to him, pulling her chair closer. 

“Mom, I…” Azriel began and then stopped, still gazing into his teacup, as if it had all the answers. He took a breath before he tried again. “Have you ever wanted something, needed something, so badly that the thought of having it makes you queasy? And once you get it, you feel as if you aren’t worth it? You feel as if no matter how hard you work, you could never measure up?”

Dinaya sighed. “Elain, can I ask you something?” She waited for Elain to nod before she went on. “How many times in your life have you gone to bed with someone who wasn’t paying you for it?”

“Just once,” Elain said plainly. “Last night.”

Azriel looked up at her, stunned. As if he hadn’t even considered that. Dinaya just nodded knowingly. “Because sex is our job, it’s incredibly rare for a member of the sisterhood to do it with someone not paying for it. And being paid for sex, no matter how good it is, feels radically different then when you are there because you truly want to be.”

“I just…” Once again Azriel stopped to gather his words before speaking to his mother again. “I feel as if I’m falling apart. Like every inch of me is consumed with her, but when I look at her, she’s unphased.” He turned to look at Elain. “I am completely unraveled by your touch but you manage to shift into this perfectly calm demeanor, and every time I feel like a wall of glass goes up between us. I feel like you are skilled and calculated in your motions, and I turn to putty in your hands, but you remain casual and aloof.”

Elain felt her throat constrict and tears form in her eyes. Dinaya watched her closely before looking at her son. “In order to do the work that we do, most of us develop alternate personas. A different face that you put in a box so you can sleep at night. And whenever it comes to flirting or pleasure, that mask comes down hard.”

“I’ve never had to bridge the two halves of my life before,” Elain explained softly. “There is something very freeing about you knowing what I am. I feel like I don’t have to hide my confidence behind a demure lady. I don’t know when it happened, but more and more I realize that the mask I used while I worked is closer to the truth of myself than the demure flower girl.”

She took a breath, making sure her voice was steady even though her tears leaked slowly down her face. “That doesn’t mean I’m unphased by you, Azriel. Far from it. But because I was trained to be the cool and confident seductress, that’s what I fall back on when I get flustered. I use the tools I’ve been given to please you because seeing you lose your perfected composure and knowing I caused it is…intoxicating.”

Dinaya had slowly withdrawn from the table to do something at the counter, but now she snorted. Loudly. “You’re embarrassed because you came pretty quickly, huh? You ran because you were afraid you hadn’t pleased her.”

The blush that had receded from Azriel’s face was now back in full force at his mother’s casual crass comment. He buried his face in his hands and groaned, “How did you know?”

“I’ve been a prostitute for seven centuries, child. I’ve seen it all.” Dinaya sat back at the table. “There are two types of males in this world, sweetie. The type that swagger around like they’re the Cauldron’s gift to sex and the type that are incredibly insecure about their sexual abilities.”

“The ones that swagger and boast always talk big but tend to be rather disappointing,” said Elain in a deadpan tone. She reached for Azriel’s hand, pulling it away from his face. “But the ones that are insecure are usually really good at sex because they feel like they need to compensate for whatever they’re lacking, and they work hard to please.”

“I just felt so…inadequate.” Azriel held his hands out in front of him like he had the night before, grasping at something that wasn’t there. His shadows swirled around him, but he ignored them. “And I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing the disappointment in your face. Or if I didn’t see it that you were just pretending everything was okay. I didn’t know what to do.”

“So, you ran,” said Dinaya. 

“And left me feeling used and confused.” Her mouth may have been set in a hard line, but the tears now flowed freely down Elain’s face as the feelings from the night before came crashing back. “Like you had gotten what you wanted and I was no longer of use to you. And like I had been just another seductive whore that you played for a fool.” 

All the color that had risen in Azriel’s face drained away, leaving his tan skin a shade paler than it normally was. “No, Elain, I—”

“I was furious with you last night,” Elain hissed at him. “Furious and hurt beyond belief. I wanted to hunt you down and throttle you.”

There was a beat of silence. “And now?” Azriel was hesitant, as if he almost didn’t want to know the answer. 

“Now?” Elain huffed a sarcastic laugh, flicking a tear at him. “Now, I’m just hurt that you felt you couldn’t talk to me about this. That you thought I would ever pretend with you. That you thought we were done just because you finished. I know these things are based in your insecurities, but it feels like a reflection on me. That I’ve done something to make you not trust me.”

By the end of her tirade, Azriel was out of his seat and kneeling on the floor before her. The stricken look on his face wrenched at Elain’s heartstrings. “You’ve done nothing but be kind and good to me, and I feel like I don’t deserve you or your kindness. I try to tell myself that a female like you wouldn’t be kind to me if I wasn’t worth it, but that feels like false hope. I know you haven’t seen all my broken pieces yet, and I can’t help but hope you won’t flinch away. But I’ve been beaten down so many times that hope seems foolish.”

“Remind me again to murder your father for that,” Dinaya muttered into her teacup, her knuckles white on the handle. “Or better yet have Rhys do it for me.”

“I’ll hold, you punch,” said Elain, totally serious. 

Azriel huffed a laugh as he took one of Elain’s hands. She sank the other one in his hair as he went on. “I told Rhys long ago that wasn’t necessary.”

“You’ll forgive me if I think you’re wrong,” said Elain. She leaned down and touched her forehead to his. “I couldn’t have asked for a better male in my life. I loved how last night was going, so please, Azriel, promise me you won’t run away again.”

“I promise,” Azriel sighed. “Just promise you’ll be patient with me. I’ve never given anyone else my heart, Elain, so I’m afraid of what will happen now that I have.”

“I’ll be careful with it. I promise. As long as you’re careful with mine.” Elain smiled and brought their lips together in a soft kiss. 

Dinaya smiled softly to herself as she watched her son kiss Elain. For years, she had been hoping for a female that would make her son happy. Sure, his friends were great, but there’s something very special about the love of a romantic partner. Someone who would understand him and not judge him. And Elain understood him. She hadn’t said it in as many words, but Dinaya could tell that Elain loved her son deeply. But there was one thing… “So, are you gonna tell me what happened to the other male or do I have to call Rhys back here to squeal.”

Elain pulled back from Azriel and turned back to her now-cold tea. “I told him what I did for a living and he said he would rather die than be mated to a whore.”

Dinaya rolled her eyes, “Pansy-ass males. Don’t they know we are the best in bed? This one time I—”

“Mom!” Azriel practically yelled as he sat back down. “I do not want to know.”

Elain laughed. “I’ll come by another day and we’ll swap work stories,” she said with a wink. 

“Cauldron boil me,” muttered Azriel. 

A knock sounded through the house. Dinaya sighed. “Speaking of work, I have dinner plans.”

Azriel was shocked. “I thought…”

Dinaya laid a hand over his. “Since you bought me the house and everything, I don’t work as often and I have more freedom with who I choose as a client. I’m grateful for everything you do for me, Azriel, but I can’t just twiddle my thumbs for the next few centuries, and I’m no good at knitting. This is my job, my purpose. And I’m good at it.”

“I could’ve lived without knowing that last bit,” Azriel grimaced. “But if you ever decide you don’t want to do this, I’ll get you out. You would love Velaris.” Azriel held out his hand for Elain and he let the shadows envelop them. 

They reappeared on the other side of camp. Elain looked around. “Is Velaris too far to fly from here?”

“It would take an hour or so at top speed. Why, you wanna fly home?” he asked with a smirk. 

“I’m just thinking that I want to spend more time with you before we have dinner with the rest of the family.”

Azriel bowed over her hand and kissed it, “You’re wish is my command, my lady.”


	10. Chapter 10

They never made it to dinner. 

About halfway back to Velaris, they spotted the cabin that Azriel and his brothers use after their annual snowball fight, and Elain picked right that moment to breathe sensually into Azriel’s ear. He almost flew into a tree. She laughed so hard she cried. 

Azriel shouldered the door open and stood back to let Elain inside. The second the door was closed, he stood like he had outside her bedroom door, watching her with hungry eyes. 

“You look like you want to ravish me,” Elain commented casually. 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered, eyes roving down her form. 

Elain tilted her head slightly, a seductive grin tugging on her lips. “But what if I like it if it hurts? I told you not to be careful with me.”

Something clicked in his eyes and he immediately picked her up and threw her into the door. His mouth went directly to her exposed throat, sucking a possessive mark into her skin. 

Elain’s eyes rolled back in her head as she moaned his name. Her hands tugged on his dark locks, longer than they usually were. Azriel had told her in the air he had been so busy he hadn’t thought about it. Elain thought it made him look more rugged and dangerous, which she liked. 

Azriel wheeled around with her in his arms, tossing her onto the table as if she weighed nothing at all. The smell of her arousal hit him hard, and he felt his instincts take over as he ripped her dress from hem to neck, buttons flying everywhere. 

She wasn’t wearing anything under the dress. Azriel felt his erection press against the inside of his leathers as he stared at her beautiful naked form. He dropped to his knees in front of her and licked up her thigh, his fingers teasing the outside of her folds. Making sure she was gripping the table above her head, Azriel slipped two fingers inside her and curled them, his lips sucking hard on the nub just above them. He used his teeth to anchor her clit and his tongue to flick hard. 

Elain’s back arched off the table as she cried out, pressing her hips into his mouth. She slammed her head back into the table as he tasted her, the feeling ripping through her. His fingers teased that perfect point inside her as she called out his name. “Yes, Az, I’m…I’m…” She never finished that sentence as spasms of an orgasm rocked her. Elain screamed incoherently as she rode his fingers, his tongue still stroking at her clit. 

Having used his other hand to free the straps on his leathers, Azriel pulled the top over his head and dropped it on the floor with her ruined dress. He freed his erection and flipped Elain over so she was face down on the table. He only took a moment to stare at the poem tattooed on her shoulder before he sheathed himself inside her in one quick thrust. 

Bracing one foot on the chair next to her, Elain held on for dear life as Azriel fucked her fast and hard. He drove himself deep inside her, and for the first time in her life Elain felt full. She felt as if he belonged there. 

All too soon, Elain felt herself needy for release again. She begged for more, and he obliged, bracing his hand on the table beside her. She squeaked out his name one more time before she found her climax again, her inner muscles squeezing at his length. 

Her orgasm was all Azriel needed. She milked him and immediately he spilled inside her with a low growl, throwing his head back in ecstasy.

Neither moved for a moment as pleasure coursed through them. Every third breath Elain took ended in a needy, throaty moan, her climax still settling over her. 

Still wrapped in afterglow, Azriel started laughing. “Rhys tried to check on us just now and may have gotten more of an eyeful then he bargained for.”

Giggles spilled from Elain as she pulled herself off of him and rolled over. “I’m sure he’ll get over it. That or he’ll also skip dinner to get some from Feyre.”

Azriel laughed harder as she wrapped her legs around his waist and sat up. Elain traced his dimples as they laughed and giggled between kisses. She trailed one of her ankles down his legs and stopped halfway down, stunned. 

“Are you still wearing your pants?” she asked, giggles renewed. 

“You’re lucky I got the top half off,” he murmured into her neck. “I almost took you fully dressed.”

Elain laughed again as she dragged a finger down the juncture of his wings and his back. Azriel’s eyes rolled back in his head as he groaned, his cock twitching with renewed interest. 

“Well, that was easy,” mused Elain with a smile. “Imagine what I could do with my whole hand.”

Azriel coughed another groan as she reached both hands over his shoulder and fingered his wings. “Shall we find a bed for round two?” he asked in a husky voice. 

She nodded, “Let’s see if we can get your boots off this time.”

~~

They only made it as far as the sofa, but round two was slow and sensual. With Elain in his lap, her hands on his wings, Azriel let her ride him tenderly as he whispered her name. They didn’t make it to the bed until round three, where Azriel toyed with Elain’s breasts for a good long while before sliding inside her. 

And when they were sweaty and spent, they climbed into the massive bath. Azriel leaned forward on the edge while Elain tucked herself between his wings. Tiny tendrils of her hair tickled his neck as they tried to escape the pins she had placed to keep her hair dry. She traced his Illyrian tattoos with nimble fingers and kissed his shoulders while he soaked his wings in the warm water. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so relaxed in my entire life,” he mumbled to her with his eyes closed. 

Elain huffed a laugh, “You know, that night Feyre brought you all to our house, I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

“You looked so frightened. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to stab me or run away.”

“I knew I should’ve been afraid, but for some reason I wasn’t. I was drawn to you even then, and I think that’s what frightened me most.” She traced another tattoo that wound around his wing. Azriel sucked in a breath at her touch. 

Elain sat up for a moment to look at him, and Azriel took the moment to roll over and open his arms for her. Draping herself over his chest, she sighed, “I think I fell in love with you when you handed me your knife and told me it would serve me well. Or maybe even earlier, when you came for me when I was kidnapped. Either way, I knew you would be it for me.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked in a low voice. 

Elain snuggled closer. “First, Feyre told me you were in love with Mor, and had been for centuries.”

Azriel took a breath, “I think I was more in love with the idea of her than anything else. This beautiful warrior maiden who took care of herself and those she loved. But the reality is I gave up on her a hundred years ago. I just didn’t have the heart to tell her.”

Nodding, Elain continued, “And then Rhys told me that if I were to choose someone that wasn’t Lucien, they would have to fight to the death. I didn’t realize that getting him to relinquish any claim would be as easy as telling him the truth. And I think some part of me still hoped to have a mate like Feyre and Rhys. Something magical. It took me a while to realize that sometimes you have to make your own magic.”

Azriel folded both of his wings over them, wrapping them up like the bats Nesta had accused them of being. “I knew I loved you when you looked at me after you were Made and you weren’t afraid. You took my hand without flinching and led me out of the shadows, into this garden filled with sunlight. I’d seen that garden thousands of times over the years, but the second you were standing in it, it was different. Brighter. I knew then that if I had to fight him for you, I would. But only if you wanted me to. Only if you made the choice to be with me.”

She reached up and cupped his face. “I love you Azriel. Never doubt that.”

“I won’t. Not anymore. Because I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, like we could end here. But I'm trying to decide if I want to do more with sex work policies in the city and give you a lovely 4-way sex scene with Criston and Matilda. 
> 
> Thoughts are welcome.
> 
> Edit March 5 2021: I've ended this particular story here but I have requests for more so I'm planning a second part. Or maybe just a collection of scenes that take place after. We'll see, but either way I'm not done with this concept.


End file.
